


Come Morning

by heartsdesire456



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, post-episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-18 13:30:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9387263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsdesire456/pseuds/heartsdesire456
Summary: Magnus knew the moment Jace reassured Alec it was all okay now and then turned and left with the people who came to arrest him that it would most definitelynotbe okay.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I just felt inspired to write a little something inspired by the seriousness of Alec's poor, taxed body, as well as how harsh it had to shock him that Jace was finally back only seconds later he got taken away again.

Magnus knew the moment Jace reassured Alec it was all okay now and then turned and left with the people who came to arrest him that it would most definitely _not_ be okay. He knew it would be even worse when, halfway to Alec’s side, where he was blinking in confusion at Jace’s retreating back, Isabelle was stopped by Victor Aldertree saying, “Isabelle, with me. You’re our witness.” Alec looked over at her, still very clearly dazed and not entirely sure what was going on, and she gave a pained look before turning to follow the rest of the Shadowhunters out of the apartment, leaving Alec sitting all alone and confused as he watched Jace being hauled away and Isabelle following obediently.

“I-Izzy?” Alec asked in a weak voice, and Magnus heard Isabelle let out a soft sob as she turned the corner, following the rest out the door. 

“Oh, Alec.” Clary broke away from his side and hurried over to Alec, putting out a hand to stop him from trying to get to his feet. Magnus followed her, pain stabbing through his heart as he watched Alec finally realize what was happening and try to get up. He was so weak, still. Even if he was okay now, he had suffered a lot of strain and would be weak and tired for a while.

But of course, Alec wasn’t one to let that stop him. “Clary, stop!” he complained, trying to push her away. “They can’t do this, they can’t take Jace away again,” he whined through gritted teeth, trying to stand even though she was stopping him. He managed to find enough strength to direct her around him to fall onto the seat beside him, but he barely made it to his feet before he swayed forward and it was only Magnus being right there to catch him that kept him from falling flat on his face. 

“Easy, Alexander,” he soothed, muscling him back to his feet. Magnus was strong, but Alec was _big_ so it was no easy feat. “Darling, you need to sit down and rest-“

“But- but Jace-“ His words choked off and Magnus saw it really sink in that they had arrested Jace after he only just got him back. “J-Jace,” he whimpered, and Magnus’s heart broke even more as he saw Alec’s face crumple as tears filled his eyes. “No,” he whispered, letting out a soft sob. “No, no, no,” he babbled as his body shook.

Magnus knew that there was no way for anybody who had never had a parabatai to possibly comprehend what that bond meant, so he honestly couldn’t imagine what it must feel like for Alec. He knew through simply watching him that in the time he had known him, Alec had managed to shift his thinking from being ‘in love’ with Jace to realizing Jace was his brother, not the man he loved. However, Magnus had a feeling that it would be _less_ terrible if Jace was the person Alec loved instead of his parabatai. Magnus had saw Jace’s face when he finally got to the apartment and he remembered the only other time he had ever witnessed the bond of two parabatai. 

Long ago, he had witnessed the aftermath of a Shadowhunter losing his parabatai, and though he was falling in love with Alec more and more every day, he saw that same depth of sorrow and despair in Jace’s eyes that he remembered from his past and knew in that moment that Alec was not his to try and protect, he was Jace’s. 

Alec had been impossible to deal with since Jace was taken by Valentine. He was angry at everything, he was placing blame on those who didn’t deserve it, and he was rude, and harsh, and pushy. He was _terrified_. Magnus had forgiven him fairly easily because he _knew_ how badly Alec was hurting without Jace. He agreed to help him try dangerous things because he knew that Alec would find someone else to help him if Magnus didn’t agree, and Magnus had to be there to try his best to protect him. 

Magnus had watched Alec suffer and watched Alec nearly die to try and find Jace, and then after being stuck in a fever-dream for a whole day while Jace clearly fought to get to Alec’s side, Alec woke up to get a grand total of about thirty-seconds conscious with his parabatai back at his side before he was ripped away again. 

“ _Jace_ ,” Alec sobbed weakly, and Magnus held him close as Alec folded into his hold, shoulders hunched and head bowed as he clung to Magnus’s arms and pressed his face into Magnus’s neck. 

Magnus saw Clary’s big, green eyes full of tears as she watched Alec break down. Magnus knew that she and Alec had their problems, mostly revolving around the way she had upset Alec’s happy balance in life, but he knew Clary Fray and he knew that her heart was too big to not break at the sight of someone she had only ever seen being strong and brave breaking down. 

“Say, Biscuit, could you go start some water for tea?” he implored, nodding his head towards the kitchen. 

She blinked at him, but nodded. “Yeah, sure.” She passed them and headed to the kitchen and Magnus turned to gently disengage Alec from the way he clung to him. 

“Darling, you need to lie back down,” he urged, leading him back to his seat.

Alec obeyed silently and fell into his previous position, sniffling pitifully as he looked up at Magnus with wide, searching eyes that reminded him how _young_ Alec was. “Please don’t go,” he whimpered, holding a hand out for Magnus. “Not you, too.”

Magnus’s fractured heart _shattered_ and he immediately sat down beside Alec’s hip. “Oh no, Alexander, I’m not going anywhere,” he promised, reaching out to fluff the pillow behind Alec’s head. “I would never do that to you,” he added in a more serious tone, distractedly trying to rearrange the pillows behind Alec to make him as comfortable as possible. 

Alec intercepted one of his hands and, curling their fingers together, tugged it to his middle, holding Magnus’s hand captive as if he needed to cling to him to reassure himself he really wasn’t going anywhere. Magnus smiled sadly, squeezing his hand back in a silent promise to stay with him. Alec gave a weak sniffle, head lolling to the side some as his adrenaline faded once again. “Everything is falling apart and I’m scared,” he confessed quietly, clearly mindful of Clary clattering around in the kitchen. “I’m guessing since they weren’t with Victor or with me, my parents are still gone, even though I was dying and Jace was missing.” He turned and looked pitifully towards the doorway. “Izzy obeying orders means she made some sort of deal with him. Jace-“ His voice broke and he blinked, turning his head away. “Jace didn’t team up with Valentine, Magnus. I know he didn’t. Valentine took him, he would never join him, Jace isn’t- He isn’t-“

“Shhhh,” Magnus urged, leaning closer to reach out and push his sweaty hair out of his eyes. “I know he wouldn’t join Valentine, Alexander. No matter what Jocelyn says, Jace is not _evil_ or some- some abomination.” He smiled wryly. “I don’t know the details, but from the look of him, he fought and clawed his way across all of New York City to get to you. Evil doesn’t love like that,” he said firmly. “Valentine can claim all he wants about his wife and children, but that man, he doesn’t have a drop of love in his body. Jace, though,” he said, trailing off with a sad smile. “Jace Wayland has so much love in his heart. He makes his decisions not for his own wellbeing, but for the wellbeing of the people he loves. That much is obvious.” He scrunched his nose. “He still just annoys me for some reason, but we both have something really huge in common that makes me feel a great deal of understanding for him.”

Alec frowned. “What do you have in common with Jace?” he asked in confusion.

Magnus narrowed his eyes playfully, tutting as he tapped Alec’s nose, trying to distract him from the pain he felt at having his parabatai torn from his side after only just finding him again. “We share a ‘most important person in our life’, Silly.”

Alec blushed some, managing a bashful smile as he looked away. The blush looked good on his pale, tired face. Any color made him look healthier. “Oh,” he mumbled. He looked up at him with a confused look in his eyes. “Really? I- I mean-“ He looked away again. “I sort of still owe you a first date,” he mumbled.

Magnus smiled and reached out to brush a stray lock of hair off of Alec’s forehead. “Darling, this will probably surprise you, but it’s very easy to be lonely while surrounded by people. I was a leader, not a friend. You and I are still working out this relationship, but the fact you and I both _want_ a relationship sort of makes you the closest friend I have.” He smiled when Alec raised his beautiful eyes. “And you well know by now that I started falling for you the moment I looked into these big, pretty hazel eyes,” he whispered and Alec smiled softly.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so difficult-“ Magnus cut him off before he could even get going.

“Darling, your brother was missing. Even if you weren’t parabatai, he and Isabelle are the bulk of your world.” He gave him a serious look. “I may not take it lying down, but I _do_ understand. Probably better than you know.”

Alec looked at him searchingly before seeming to find whatever he was looking for. “You’ve known parabatai before,” he realized, and Magnus smiled sadly. Alec paled. “Oh.”

“Long time ago,” Magnus dismissed. “Two young men. One of them was sick.” He shook his head and Alec swallowed visibly. “I knew you weren’t really in love with Jace because, though you might have been when you were boys, it was very obvious the feelings you had for him were the same bond I had witnessed once before. And I’ve seen Jace just as frantic over you, though never so bad as tonight.” He chuckled. “You’re lucky you have me,” he teased, trying to make Alec smile again. “A lot of guys wouldn’t be so accepting of their boyfriend having a soulmate, Darling,” he said with a wink.

Alec looked pained but was visibly fighting his panic to stay calm like Magnus wanted. “You keep calling me that,” he said, tilting his head. “You’ve never called me that before tonight.”

Magnus gave a soft chuckle. “Well I almost lost you, so I guess my affectionate side has come out in the wake of such a scare.” He took a shuddered breath. “I did everything I could to keep you alive, Alec. I was fighting so hard to keep hanging onto you. I’m one of the most powerful warlocks there is, and yet nothing I did could save you. I was so worried I would lose you when I’ve only just found you,” he admitted.

Alec squeezed the hand held to his middle. “Hey, you didn’t, though.” He looked up into Magnus’s eyes. “I’m still here. You got me here and got Jace to me and you guys saved me.”

“Oh yeah,” Magnus remembered, cringing. “I’m lucky they didn’t arrest me, too,” he confessed, and Alec gave him an alarmed look (as alarmed as he could in his weakened state). 

“What did you do?” Alec asked in confusion and Magnus gave him a guilty little pout.

“Now remember, darling, he was trying to take me away from you,” he urged and Alec frowned. Magnus ducked his head. “I… attacked Raj.”

“What?!” Alec gasped, sitting up before Magnus pushed him back down. “Magnus, what did you _do_?”

Magnus stuttered. “Aldertree put him there to watch me, and he said if I couldn’t help you he was under orders to escort me out, and when I refused he said, ‘I knew you were old but I didn’t think you were hard of hearing’ and tried to _make_ me leave your side, and I just got so angry,” he groaned. “I strangled him with magic and threw him into the wall,” he said in a rush, smiling innocently at Alec, who was gaping at him. 

“By the Angel,” Alec breathed in surprise. “Magnus, if they press it, you could be charged with breaking the Accords-“

“Alexander, relax,” Magnus soothed, pushing him back down against the backrest. “I’m going to be okay. He provoked me. I know how to fight charges regarding the Accords.” He winked. “I helped write them, remember?”

They were interrupted by Clary coming back with a tray of tea and mugs and the sugar bowl. “Here you go,” she said, bringing the tea over to sit on the table beside Alec. “This will help you feel better, Alec,” she encouraged.

Magnus snapped his fingers and then handed one of the two steaming mugs nearest him to Alec. “I believe I remember that you like yours with a ton of sugar,” he said and Alec nodded, taking the mug. 

Clary grinned in amusement. “I didn’t take you for the sweet-tooth kind of guy,” she said and Alec gave her a weak smile. 

“I discovered it by accident,” Magnus said suddenly, trying to change the tone of the room. “Alec, it turns out, does not like alcohol, so instead of keep watching him politely sip cocktails and grimace when he thought I wasn’t looking, I offered to make tea instead, and then proceeded to watch him put _six_ spoonful’s of sugar into his cup,” he said and Clary made a face.

“It’s good,” Alec mumbled, sipping his tea with defensive eyes over the rim at Clary. 

She grinned. “I figured you’d be like me. I drink black coffee with no sugar.”

Alec scrunched his nose and sipped his sugary tea. “Ew.”

Magnus looked at Alec closely as the tea helped bring some more color back into his cheeks. “You look so much better,” he murmured, tipping Alec’s head left and right to look at his face better. “You were deathly pale for a while there.”

“It was really scary, Alec,” Clary agreed. “We were all so worried.” She reached out and squeezed Magnus’s forearm. “Magnus never left your side, not for a minute.”

Magnus gave a wry grin. “I do have a bit of an investment in whether or not Alec dies.” He winked at Alec. “He still owes me a first date.” Alec blushed some, ducking his head as he raised his mug to his lips again.

Clary smirked at Alec’s bashfulness. “Hey Alec, remember that time you freaked out on me cause I noticed you liked boys?”

“You were a total jerk about it,” he defended, sipping more tea. “Also I’m not a child, I don’t like ‘boys’,” he said, making a face.

Clary rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, you can’t be much older than me,” she dismissed. She sighed, looking at Magnus with a shake of her head. “Men, huh?”

Magnus chuckled, but his eyes were drawn to the way Alec’s eyes drooped a bit. “Are you ready to rest some more, Alexander?” he asked, and Alec nodded with a somewhat embarrassed look. “Do you feel comfortable here or would you like to go to bed?” he asked gently. “You’re in no shape to portal, but unless someone comes looking for you, you can sleep here tonight.”

Alec drank the last of his tea and looked down at himself. “Um, I should probably stay here. I don’t think I should get in your bed all sweaty and gross.”

Clary snorted, choking on her tea and Alec flushed bright red and Magnus couldn’t help but snicker before swatting Clary on the back to keep her from dying. “Clary, don’t be so dirty minded,” he chastised, though he couldn’t help but smile a bit himself. “And Alexander, I had a bloody werewolf resting here not that long ago in my bed,” he comforted. “If Luke can bleed all over my sheets and be forgiven, you’re absolutely fine. You were very sick all day, you are forgiven for being a little grungy,” he said gently. “You need to regain your strength.”

Alec bit his lip, still a bit pink, but nodded. “Okay. I’ll go to bed, then.” He held his cup out to Clary and she took it and set it back on the tray. “Thanks for the tea,” he said and she nodded dismissively. He sat up slowly, but Magnus could see he was already feeling better. “But,” he said, looking at Magnus. “If you need to get some sleep, don’t hesitate to join me. You need to rest, too, and I don’t mind sharing a bed with you.”

Clary gave another giggle as she stood up and put her empty mug with Alec’s on the tray. “I bet you don’t,” she muttered under her breath and Magnus smirked again when he saw Alec’s eyes widen as he shook his head in jerky motions at Clary.

Magnus couldn’t help a small giggle. “Alright, Biscuit, leave him alone, you terrible child,” he chastised.

“What? It’ll work, Alec,” she encouraged, winking at him. “Every porno ever says your sexy nurse will be a full-service nurse, if you know what I mean-“

“It would be hard to miss your intention,” Alec grumbled, avoiding her gaze. 

Magnus tutted. “He’s recovering from almost dying, not starring in an adult film. Also, I find it alarming you seem so well-versed in pornography,” he said bluntly, standing to hold out a hand for Alec. “Come on, Alexander. I’ll help you to bed and leave you with something to change into,” he said, and Alec took his hand, pulling himself up to his feet tiredly. Alec was a lot more alert, but he still dragged his feet, showing his exhaustion. Clary’s eyes lost their amusement as she watched him worriedly.

Leaving Clary to clear away the tea tray, Magnus helped Alec get to his bedroom and then snapped some sweats and a tank top onto the bed. He let Alec sit and placed the folded clothes beside him. “Here you are, Darling. Just get some sleep, okay? I’ll be back later to check up on you.”

Alec looked up at him with seriousness in his eyes. “Thank you, Magnus. For everything you’ve done for me today.” He reached out and caught Magnus’s hand. “Even if I hadn’t needed your help not dying, I needed someone to keep me from falling apart when they took Jace.”

Magnus’s eyes softened and he squeezed Alec’s hand. “It was nothing, Alec.”

“No, it wasn’t ‘nothing’,” Alec said softly, looking up at Magnus with warmth in his eyes. “ _Thank you._ ”

Magnus leaned in and pressed a kiss to Alec’s forehead. “You’re very welcome,” he murmured. He pulled back and leaned his forehead against Alec’s, cupping his cheek gently. “I couldn’t lose you before I even get to know what we could be.”

Alec swallowed and met his eyes. “I just want my life to level out so we can be _something_ , whatever that something may be.”

“Me, too,” Magnus said with a wry smile. “Now really,” he urged, shoving Alec onto his back with a light push. “ _Rest_.”

Alec laughed tiredly and sat up again, grabbing the clothes as Magnus turned and walked out, leaving him to his privacy. Magnus still had things to do and he and Clary needed to figure out what was going on in the world outside of his apartment, but it made him feel a lot of relief knowing that Alec was safe and on the mend no matter what they might face come morning.


End file.
